Sultan Al Qasimi witnessed NCD Alliance Forum launch

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah witnessed the inauguration of the global forum on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) held under the patronage and presence of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Founder and Royal Patron of the Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP) and International Ambassador for the World Cancer Declaration of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC.

During his opening address at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre His Highness Sultan Dr Sultan Al Qasimi welcomed delegates from the UAE and around the globe. “The emirate of Sharjah grants all human beings love and appreciation. We strive for all humankind at the local and internal level in this field, which has been overlooked by many officials. Now NCDs have reached a level that cannot be ignored anymore because they will impact everything, they impact humanity as a whole. Therefore we see there is a major responsibility and now today you are opening up the way for addressing the issue in NCDs Alliance Forum. This forum must have a main focus and focal point and communication to ensure it follows up in the implementation of the forums recommendations.”

His Highness added, “We will do all we can from our side and want to provide you all kinds of material and moral support. Therefore we offer all our medical resources and experts at your disposal. We have the medical complex that includes medical, surgical, research and scientific centres that have been furnished with state of the art technologies. Over the past few days we also established the cancer research center in collaboration medical research centers worldwide. We place all of these centres at your disposal. I hope this conference will achieve its objective and we look forward to your recommendations. You are paving the way for finding solution to NCDS and we wish you every success.”

In her keynote address, HE Ameera Binkaram, President of the Board of Directors, Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP) welcomed delegates to Sharjah, known as the smiling Emirate and spoke about the many health programs launched in Sharjah. She said, “Sharjah has launched several landmark initiatives to battle diseases through educational and awareness campaigns. It is home to many health societies and organisations that help consolidate the emirate’s stature as a global model for a healthy life. We are proud that Sharjah continues to raise hope thanks to the vision and directives of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, and the close follow up of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi. Today, we are here due to her leadership in order to discuss the ways and means to tackle non-communicable diseases throughout the world, particularly in low-and middle-income countries.”

BinKaram added that Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi established the first society dedicated to the care of cancer patients in the UAE, the Friends of Cancer Patients Society, which has, since then, worked tirelessly to support cancer patients throughout the UAE. Two years ago, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher was chosen by the International Ambassador of the World Cancer Declaration for Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC, in recognition of her outstanding efforts.

“Her Highness has worked tirelessly to mobilise international support for cancer patients and launched several initiatives and visited many countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Tanzania and the United States of America, as part of her efforts to support cancer patients worldwide. Last year, Sheikha Jawaher visited New York where she met with a number of officials and representatives from NCD’s organisations from all over the world. During the meeting, Her Highness discussed the importance of collective international action to fight against noncontagious diseases. Stemming from Sharjah’s eagerness to support this issue and continue to boost all health initiatives, Her Highness announced her willingness to host the first NCD Forum in Sharjah, which will remain the smiling emirate to its visitors and the entire world. Today, we are here together as Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher wishes.”

BinKaram introduced a short film outlining the achievements of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher including founding the Friends of Cancer Patients, Friends of Kidney Patients, Friends for Diabetes and being the Royal Patron of the Pink Caravan which led to her being appointed as patron of the first ever global forum on NCDs.

In his address, Dr Jose Luis Castro, Chair NCDA, thanked His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher for the support, patronage and leadership they bring to the world’s efforts against cancer and to the non-communicable disease cause. He also thanked FoCP for their hard work and hospitality, saying, “You have enabled the fulfilment of Her Highness’s generous invitation to hold this historic occasion here in Sharjah. This is a moment of significance. It is the first-ever convening of the global NCDs civil society movement on such a scale. We represent 40 nations. More than 200 of us are here.”

Castro went on to say that due to the UN’s Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals that included non-communicable disease targets for the first time, the forum was happening at a critical time. “With this landmark action, for which we all worked so tirelessly, the focus now shifts. It pivots from global policymaking to implementation at the national and regional levels, and to identifying sustainable resources,” he said. “We are united by the vision of a future in which all people affected by or living with NCD live full, healthy lives, free from stigma, discrimination and preventable disability or death.”

The forum includes three plenary sessions focusing on three key areas: Advocacy and Accountability, Organisational Development and Collaboration for Success and each session is followed by a workshop stream on the same topic. The forum will also share good practices, exchange knowledge, advance capacity building efforts, deepen collaboration and discuss the NCD Alliance’s newly ratified strategic plan for the 2016-2020 period. The Global NCD Alliance Forum brings together over 200 NCD leaders, including representatives from national and regional NCD Alliances, international NGOs, multilateral organisations, governments, and the private sector.

Dr. Bou Orm’s research interests, as a Materials Chemist, focuses on the design, preparation and characterization of hybrid nanomaterials and catalysts for environmental applications especially for water treatment (PAH, other organic pollutants removals, and de-nitration)

Her research work is a multi-disciplinary that consists of the combination and expertise in the inorganic and coordination chemistry, sol-gel, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, hybrid nanomaterials, heterogeneous and environmental catalysis. She has worked on the Aza-Michael and Heck reaction in preparation of organic molecules for the functionalization of the surface of her researched materials. Moreover, Dr. Bou Orm has also developed a molecular approach “bottom-up & one pot” in order to obtain crystallized metal oxide nanoparticles with a better control of the surface of functionalization. Furthermore, she also managed to control the adsorption by the type of on-surface function of the materials. One of her achievements is that she has successfully added a new benefit to the powders by functionalizing the nanocomposites based on textiles, which allowed treating bigger volumes of polluted water effectively within shorter time; in addition to developing a wide range of nanomaterials that are more efficient in terms of adsorption and recyclability in comparison with the commercial solids (Strata-C18, HLB, Envi-Carb, SBSE, Envi-disk).

Dr. Bou Orm has also worked with western research governmental authorities on the development of heterogeneous catalysts and the preparation of nanomaterials for selective extraction of Lithium in the brines in Argentina.

Yousuf Abdulla AlMulla

Yousuf AlMulla is a senior executive specialized in corporate strategy, operations and corporate finance. He has a wealth of experience from his entrepreneurial and corporate background and government roles and has contributed to the development of many strategic projects in UAE. He started his career as an entrepreneur and worked his way to a senior leadership role in the corporate world. For the last five years, Yousuf has been the Chief Strategy Officer at one of the largest conglomerate in the region where he focused on corporate governance, innovation & digitalization, strategy & business plan development, and risk management.

In 2008, he was part of the team at The Executive Council of Dubai that setup The Consulting Office, the management consulting company that was later named TCO Management Consulting. His tenure at the company lasted four years ending in 2012. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2010, following his position as Head of Strategy, Business Development and Alliances, which was a role he held from 2008 to 2010. During his time at TCO, he leveraged his entrepreneurial expertise to lead the company in achieving its vision and developing its 2012-2015 growth strategy. He also advised senior leadership in the Dubai government and the UAE federal government on high-level strategic and innovation projects.

In his former capacity as Associate Project Manager of the Innovation and
Development Unit at the Executive Office, from 2006 to 2007, AlMulla was in
charge of developing and implementing financial efficiency programs across a wide range of government departments, as well as setting an educational endowment fund. Additionally, he had a significant contribution to the development of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, and the establishment of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. His other achievements at the Executive Office included advising the Minor Affairs Foundation on their investment policy.

AlMulla’s previous experience included his advisory and operational role with Dubai Autodrome to setup the business and organize the 1st international track motor race in the region in 2004. He also worked with his family to setup and manage Hotels from 2003 to 2006. Moreover, AlMulla is passionate on turning new business ideas into reality where he was involved in development of several enterprises such as real estate financing, hospitality management, sports management, and technology start-ups.

He currently serves on board of Endeavor UAE, E11 Capital (a VC based in San
Francisco), Kairos Society (global startup platform based in NYC), and 55FiftyFive Diamond Design Studio (jewelry design startup in Dubai). Moreover, he is involved with several strategic government initiatives to promote and enhance entrepreneurship ecosystem in UAE.

AlMulla holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD, Masters in Public Administration from Lee Kuan School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a BSc in Business Administration with concentration in Corporate Finance from Marshall Business School at University of Southern California (USC).

Dr. Saba Al Heialy

Dr. Saba Al Heialy is an assistant professor of Immunology at Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2008 from Universite du Quebec a Montreal (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). In 2013, she obtained her PhD from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) from the department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. She trained at the Meakins-Christie laboratories, a leading research center in respiratory medicine, under the supervision of Dr. James G. Martin. Her thesis work focused on the interaction between T cells and airway smooth muscle cells in allergic asthma. She was awarded many scholarships and awards throughout her PhD including the James Hogg Award in 2012 for her work on nanotubes in T cells. Between 2013 and 2016, she was a senior lecturer of Physiology at Alfaisal University (Riyadh, KSA) and served as director of first year medical students. During her time at Alfaisal University, she worked on the bridge between innate and adaptive immune responses in acute lung injury with Dr.Peter Kvietys. Dr. Al Heialy’s research currently focuses on asthma and allergies with a specific look at mechanisms of steroid resistance in obese asthmatics. In 2017, she was awarded the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East fellowship for her work on the role of Th17 cells and GR-beta in steroid resistance in obese asthmatics. She currently teaches medical students and is involved in the supervision of graduate students both in the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia.

Thierry Pichon

Born and raised across all continents, Thierry Pichon began his career in Australia after completing his International MBA specialized in Marketing. Thierry brings a wealth of retail experience and brand management after working with Louis Vuitton Maison des Champs-Élysées and Gucci as President of Hong Kong and Macau, and L Capital. Thierry moved to Dubai to join Chalhoub Group in
December 2017 where he is now leading homegrown and internationally recognized concepts Level Shoes and Level Kids. His strong understanding of luxury fashion and his love for art stems from working across different international markets which has resulted in his appreciation of cultural diversity and global awareness of consumer trends.

Hind Al Huwaidi

A passionate individual with a keen interest in environmental issues, Hind joined Bee’ah in 2011, and has played an instrumental role in leading the company’s CSR initiatives ever since then.

Within her current role of leading Bee’ah’s educational initiatives, Hind is responsible for devising and implementing the strategic objectives of the Beeʼah School of Environment, a bilingual educational environmental initiative that is reaching hundreds of thousands of students across the UAE. She also manages and organizes the Environmental Excellence School Award (EESA), and the Inter- School Recycling Competition (ISRC).

Hind graduated from the University of Sharjah with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences. Hind also graduated from the illustrious Sharjah Leadership Programme in 2017.

H.E Nuha Mohammed Safar

Nuha Safar is an Emirati Businesswoman, with 20 years of experience in Formation and Execution of Organizational and Corporate Communication Strategies, and Management of International and Local Affairs. She is the Co-founder and the Managing Director for Life Keys institution, which focuses on training and coaching women, of all ages, through designing programs that will positively impact their self-realization, purpose in life, selfesteem, and lifestyle, and she is the Chairperson of the Middle East beachhead advisory
board of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

She worked as the Head of Corporate Communication for Majid Al Futtaim properties, setting up the properties group communication policies and procedures, developing and executing the communication strategy across different countries that the group operates in. Prior to that, she worked at Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry for more than 10 years managing the Corporate Communication, External Relations, and Customer Service Centers. In addition to leading different Dubai based business/ CSR initiatives and campaigns, she as well organized various regional and international events Promoting Dubai and the UAE as a business hub.

Nuha is a forming member of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award, and managed to tie up Dubai Chamber with well-respected international and local charitable organizations (such as the UNICEF, MSF, WFP and UAE Red Crescent) through running awareness and fund raising campaigns. She served as well on different boards including Dubai Brand Council, UAE Advertisers Business Group, Dubai the City that Cares, Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises, Al Noor Center for Children with Special Needs, and currently is the Vice Chairperson of Friends of Cancer Patients.

She holds an Executive Master Degree in Positive Leadership and Strategy from IE university – Madrid, Spain, Higher Diploma in Business Administration from the Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai Women’s College, and graduated from Mohammad Bin Rashid Program for Leadership Development which teaches various master classes from leading business schools such as Cranfield Business School and Singapore Business School. Nuha is a certified trainer by British International Academy for Training and Development